State Standards: GLEs/GSEs National Content Standards:
Grade Span Expectations [Math]:
M(N&O)–10–8 Applies properties of numbers to solve problems, to simplify computations, or to compare and contrast the properties of numbers and number systems. M(F&A)–10–1 Identifies, extends, and generalizes a variety of patterns (linear and nonlinear) represented by models, tables, sequences, or graphs to solve problems. M(PRP)–HS–1 Students will use problem-solving strategies to investigate and understand increasingly complex mathematical content and be able to:
• Expand the repertoire of problem-solving strategies and use those strategies in more sophisticated ways.
• Use technology whenever appropriate to solve real-world problems (e.g., personal finance, wages, banking and credit, home improvement problems, measurement, taxes, business situations, purchasing, and transportation).
• Formulate and redefine problem situations as needed to arrive at appropriate conclusions.
Grade Span Expectations [Physics]:
PS3 (7-8) 8: Students demonstrate and understanding of motion by… (8a)… measuring the distance and time for a given moving object and using those values to calculate speed. (8b)… Solving for any unknown in the expression v=d/t given values for the other two variables. (8c)… Differentiating between speed, velocity and acceleration.
PS3 (9-11) 8: Students demonstrate and understanding of forces and motion by… (8a)… Predicting and/or graphing the path of an object in different reference planes and explain how and why it occurs. (8b)… Using modeling, illustrating, and graphing to explain how distance and velocity change over time for a free falling object.
PS3 (Ext) 8: Students demonstrate an understanding of forces and motion by… (8aa)… Using a quantitative representation of how distance and velocity change over time for a free falling object. (8bb)… Using a quantitative representation of the path of an object that has both horizontal and free fall motion. (8cc)… Modeling, illustrating, graphing, and or quantitatively explaining the path of an object that has both horizontal and free fall motion.
Context of the Lesson Where does this lesson fit in the curriculum and instructional context? Is it the opening of a unit or a series of lessons?
This “lesson” will take place in the middle of a Physics 1 projectile motion unit. The lesson consists of a student investigation in which students will determine a procedure that can be used to figure out how fast they can throw a baseball and/ or kick a soccer ball. They will then implement this procedure and use their knowledge of projectile motion to quantitatively analyze the projectile of the ball. The lesson will take up two separate instructional periods and that is why it has been designated as the 6th and the 7th lesson for this projectile motion unit.
Prior to this lesson, students should have been introduced to kinematics and should be proficient in solving problems involving objects moving horizontally or objects in free fall. They should know and understand the three important kinematics equations and how they can be manipulated to solve for various aspects of an objects motion. Students should also have been exposed to projectile motion and should have learned and conceptualized the “bullet shot/ dropped theory”. They should fully understand that the two directions (x and y) are entirely independent and that an objects motion in the x direction is unaffected by its motion in the y direction (and vice versa). They should be able to use this fact to solve simple 2 dimensional motion problems. They will have been given instruction on how to solve 2D kinematics problems and they will have worked with the PHET computer program that will have allowed them to derive the range equation for a projectile launched at a given angle.
Students should also be proficient in Algebra and should be able to manipulate equations to solve for one unknown. Students should also be proficient in solving systems of equations (2 variables, 2 unknowns).
With this prerequisite knowledge students will be able to complete the tasks that will be presented to them within this lesson and they will be successful.
NOTE: This lesson is designed for 2 80-90 minute class periods. Detail is provided later in the lesson.
Opportunities to Learn
Differentiation: Materials, Learners and Environments
Plans to differentiate instruction:
This lesson sequence includes three different segments. The first segment involves the students working together to brainstorm ideas of how to complete a challenge that I will issue to them. I will not give them too much instruction and I will have them figure out the problem on their own. The second segment of the lesson which will take place on the second day will involve the students going out to the football field to implement their procedures and take the necessary measurements that they will need in order to make the calculations. The final segment of the lesson involves the students quantitatively analyzing the motion of the projectile. They will use the experimental numbers and apply what they know about projectile motion to solve this problem. The entire lesson will be performed in groups of 2. This lesson definitely incorporates different forms of instruction for all different types of learners. Students that work best while working cooperatively with others will certainly enjoy this lesson because it involves a great deal of group work. Students that enjoy math and qualitatively analyzing different situations will also find this lesson beneficial. They will be able to analyze the motion of a projectile. Finally the kinesthetic and visual learners will certainly be entertained by this lesson because it involves a lot of hands-on and inquiry based learning experiences. In addition to this, in order to differentiate my instruction for the advanced students I will have extra challenges that I will offer to them if they finish with the assigned work ahead of time. I will have them make the same calculations for their left arm and left leg. I might also ask them to calculate a few other values that can be seen in the attached worksheet. For the students that may be struggling throughout this investigation I will offer them guiding questions that may help them to see what it is that they have to do. I will also inform the students that may be struggling that they will only be required to complete the second challenge (Challenge B) for full credit. This will take some of the pressure off of them and will allow them to get more out of the learning experience. My aim is depth rather than breadth. Accommodations and modifications: It is important to recognize that most classes (no matter what the level is) will be comprised of learners of all different types. These learners will also have a variety of different learning styles. In order to accommodate for these differences, I will be sure to group the students so that they are all working with students of similar learning ability. In this way the advanced students will work at their own pace and will not feel as though they need to wait for the students that may take a little more time to fully understand the concepts. The students that may be struggling will be able to work slowly through the task and take their time without feeling threatened and intimidated by the other students that are working more quickly. I will also try to group different types of learners together in the same groups. This will allow students to see the concepts from a different perspective and will help them grow intellectually. Environment factors: This lesson involves three separate segments. The first and last segments of the lesson will be performed in the physics classroom and the students will be working in groups at the lab benches. I will make sure to position the groups around the room in a way that is easy for me to maintain order and help out all of the groups. During the second segment of the lesson the students will be collecting data out on the football field. I will need to get permission from the administration in order to make this small “field trip”. I will go over rules with the students before we go outside and will position myself on the football field in a way so that I can see all of the students and can answer any questions that they may have on the content of the lesson. Materials: ü Measuring tapes ü Protractors ü Cameras ü Computers ü Worksheet ü Calculators
Objectives
Students will successfully apply the scientific method in order to develop an original procedure for calculating the initial velocity of projectile using specific materials.
Students will successfully implement their original scientific procedure and will quantitatively calculate the initial velocity with which they can throw a projectile.
Instructional Procedures
This particular lesson will include two “LES” procedures, which will be detailed below. The first LES procedure corresponds to objective (i) while the second corresponds to objectives (ii) seen in the above section. These two LES procedures will correspond to two different instructional periods. I want the students to perform these procedures in depth and I don’t want them to be rushed through the activity. For this reason I intend to spend two days on the activity.
DAY 1 LAUNCH A:
As the students enter the classroom during the first instruction period I will have already posted the agenda for the day so that they students (and myself) can refer back to it throughout the lesson. I will also have a sample NECAP or AP Physics science problem on the whiteboard for the students to complete in the first few minutes of class. This problem will be a good segue into the lesson because I will be sure to choose a problem that relates to the concepts that we will be studying. This will help students become familiar with the types of NECAP and/or AP questions that they will see in the future. Once the students have been given a few minutes to work on this problem as a class I will go over the correct answer and then I will begin to introduce the instructional goals for the day. “How many of you know how fast you can throw a baseball?” “How many of you know how fast you can kick a soccer ball?” “Do you think it is easier to kick a soccer ball or throw a baseball?” “We have done a lot of work with determining how far a projectile can travel based on knowing its initial velocity. We will now turn the tables and have the initial velocity be our unknown.” I will ask the students if they know how fast they can throw a baseball or kick a soccer ball and I will ask them if they know what the fastest recorded speeds are for professionals. I am going to then tell the students that they will be developing an investigation that will allow them to find out exactly how fast they can throw a baseball and kick a soccer ball. I don’t want to reveal too much information to the students because I want them to all go through the design procedures in order to develop their own original procedure. I will assign the students their groups (they will be working in pairs) and I will distribute the attached worksheet to each student. They will all need to complete a worksheet in their groups. In this launch segment of the lesson I want to get the students excited about the coming lessons and I will tell them that they will actually get the opportunity to go outside on the next instructional period and actually figure out exactly how fast they can launch a projectile. I will not spend too long on this launch phase because I don’t want to give the students much direction and I want to allow them to go in whichever direction that they like in the activity. I will tell them that we will have a competition to see who can throw/ kick the hardest. After I have engaged the students and explained what I would like them to do I will let them go off and start “exploring”. However I will be sure to reiterate the purpose of the investigation. “The purpose of this activity is to give you an opportunity to develop an investigation that is directly related to projectile motion (2D kinematics). You will be able to further your understanding of projectile motion and apply it to a real world application.” EXPLORE A:
The students will be given some guidance on the attached worksheet and they will know what materials they will have available to them. See attached worksheet. I will ask that they complete the investigation in two different ways using two different sets of supplies. In the first challenge they must find out the initial velocity of the projectile (baseball or soccer ball) by using only a measuring tape. In the second challenge they must find out the initial speed of the projectile (baseball or soccer ball) using a measuring tape and a camera. The second activity will involve the students launching the ball at an angle (which they can measure using a camera) and the first activity will involve the students throwing/ kicking the projectile perfectly horizontally. This will be the only information that I will provide to the students and I will want them to brainstorm ideas on how to find the initial velocity of the projectile. If students seem to be struggling with this task I will initially stay removed from their work. As long as they are on task and working I will allow them to struggle a little and enter a state of disequilibrium. This will make the learning experience even more beneficial. However, if this confusion prolongs I will offer the students some guidance by asking them guiding questions. “What is the unknown in this particular situation?” “Do we want the initial velocity in the x direction or in the y direction? Or do we want the initial velocity vector? Which tells us about the overall magnitude?” “What is the acceleration of a projectile in the x direction? What does this tell you about the x velocity?” “For the first challenge think about what would happen if you threw the object perfectly horizontal to the ground” “If we measured the amount that the ball dropped over a give distance could we find out anything else about the motion of the object? If we threw a ball against a wall could we measure the drop? How?” If groups are finding this activity too easy I will offer them a few extra challenges to consider before they collect data on the proceeding day. These extra challenges can be seen on the attached sheet. I will also point out to the students the following idea: “Make sure to take into account the fact that the ball will be thrown at a higher height than the ball will land.” My intent is that the students think about what they will do for each of the challenges and write up a final procedure on day one. They will then have me check over their procedures and make sure that it is okay for them to implement. If I see any conceptual problems with their procedures I will point these out to them and have them adjust their procedures and make the necessary changes. Students will engage in this give and take on the first day until they develop a good a well thought out investigation. SUMMARIZE/SHARE A:
At the end of this first instructional period I will have the students reconvene as a class and if there is time at the end of the day I will have each group explain to the class what they intend to do on the next day. This will be a good way to summarize the day’s task and have the students see what everyone else came up with. They may even decide to change their procedures if they got any ideas from their peers. I will ask each group the following questions in front of the class to test their understanding of projectile motion and get an idea about how well they are able to implement the scientific method: “What was your initial thought when you first read the assignment?” “Did you have to make any revisions to your procedure along the way?” “What essential projectile motion ideas are you using throughout your investigation to find the desired measurements? (Symmetry, vy=0, etc)” “How will you strive to get more accurate results? More precise results?” “What units will you find your answer in? In this a practical unit that allows you to compare results?” “How many significant figures do our instruments limit us to?” DAY 2 LAUNCH B/ EXPLORE B:
When the students enter the classroom on dat 2 I will have a new agenda posted on the whiteboard.
As the students enter the classroom I will instruct them to get into the groups that they had worked in the day before and spend about 10 minutes reviewing their procedure and collecting the materials that they will need when they go outside. I will then go over the ground rules and explain to the students that they need to be very well behaved when we go outside or else we won’t be allowed by administration to go outside during class time anymore. “Okay class! We are going to implement your procedures today and figure out how fast we can throw a baseball and kick a soccer ball!” As a class we will head out to the football field and I will allow the student to make the necessary measurements that they will need. I will have them perform several trials in order to get enough data for their experiment. I will have brought in three different digital cameras for the class period and the groups can trade off taking pictures/ videos (whichever their investigation called for). Some groups may find that the setting on the camera that takes 10 pictures in 1 sec will be very helpful. For the students that need a wall we will proceed to the side of the building so that they can take their measurements for the first challenge. I plan to spend about 30 minutes outside to allow the student enough time to make the measurements. For the students that make their measurements very quickly I will challenge them to also find out how fast they can throw/kick with their left hand. Once all of the groups have collected their data we will head back in to the classroom and I will give them the opportunity to make the necessary calculations to figure out how fast they can throw a baseball and kick a soccer ball. We will connect the three cameras to the computer and will download the pictures and/or videos so that the students can use the computer to analyze and measure the angle with which they launched the projectiles. If students are struggling making their measurements I will go around and offer them assistance. I will also make sure that all of their numbers make sense “If you can throw a ball faster than Steven Strasburg than why are you still in school?” “What do you think threw off your numbers?” “What were some sources of error that may have existed in your investigation?” SUMMARIZE/SHARE B:
Once everyone has finished with their calculations I will make a chart on the whiteboard and will have each student record how fast they can throw a baseball and kick a soccer ball. We will then discuss the results as a class and discuss any sources of error that may have existed throughout all of the investigations. I will then ask the class the following questions to assess the activity that I had them complete. “Did you enjoy this activity?” “What did you learn?” “Where did the bullet shot/ bullet dropped idea come into play in your calculations? How was it essential to the first investigation? To the second?” “Can we use this same procedure to figure out how fast outfielders throw a baseball into second base when we are watching them on TV?” “What angle would optimize the range of the baseball/soccer ball?” “How could we find initial velocity if we threw the ball straight up?” I will then ask them if they have any questions to wrap up the lesson sequence and we will talk about how the lesson fits in to the projectile motion unit.
Assessment
In order to assess my students during this investigation I will determine whether each student has successfully completed each of the objectives described above. Launch A: During the Launch phase of the first activity, the student will be informally assessed and I will determine how interested they are in the lesson that will follow. I want to gauge their engagement because I will make adjustments to my instruction in order to make the lesson more entertaining and engaging for them. Explore A:
During the “explore” phase of day 1 I will informally assess the students on the critical thinking skills and on their ability to use the scientific method in order to develop an original investigation. I will take notes about each of the students and determine if they are ready to move on with the lesson and make their measurements. Summarize A:
During the summarize phase of the first activity the students will have to explain their thought process as well as the procedure that they came up with. This will give me a chance to further gauge how well they were able to implement the scientific method and develop an effective investigation. This will also give me an opportunity to determine whether the students conceptually understand the concepts of the projectile motion unit. Launch/Explore/Summarize B:
During the second activity I will informally assess the students on their ability to implement their own scientific investigation. This will help me determine if the students know how to make accurate measurements and control unwanted variables.During the calculation portion of the lesson I will informally determine if the students are proficient with manipulating the kinematics equations and applying the projectile motion concepts to solve real world problems.
Reflections This section to be completed only if lesson plan is implemented.
Lesson Implementation:** Was not able to implement this lesson yet.
Lesson #6 and #7: How Fast?
Lesson Title
How Fast? A Student Investigation
National Content Standards:
M(N&O)–10–8 Applies properties of numbers to solve problems, to simplify computations, or to compare and contrast the properties of numbers and number systems.
M(F&A)–10–1 Identifies, extends, and generalizes a variety of patterns (linear and nonlinear) represented by models, tables, sequences, or graphs to solve problems.
M(PRP)–HS–1 Students will use problem-solving strategies to investigate and understand increasingly complex mathematical content and be able to:
• Expand the repertoire of problem-solving strategies and use those strategies in more sophisticated ways.
• Use technology whenever appropriate to solve real-world problems (e.g., personal finance, wages, banking and credit, home improvement problems, measurement, taxes, business situations, purchasing, and transportation).
• Formulate and redefine problem situations as needed to arrive at appropriate conclusions.
Grade Span Expectations [Physics]:
PS3 (7-8) 8: Students demonstrate and understanding of motion by…
(8a)… measuring the distance and time for a given moving object and using those values to calculate speed.
(8b)… Solving for any unknown in the expression v=d/t given values for the other two variables.
(8c)… Differentiating between speed, velocity and acceleration.
PS3 (9-11) 8: Students demonstrate and understanding of forces and motion by…
(8a)… Predicting and/or graphing the path of an object in different reference planes and explain how and why it occurs.
(8b)… Using modeling, illustrating, and graphing to explain how distance and velocity change over time for a free falling object.
PS3 (Ext) 8: Students demonstrate an understanding of forces and motion by…
(8aa)… Using a quantitative representation of how distance and velocity change over time for a free falling object.
(8bb)… Using a quantitative representation of the path of an object that has both horizontal and free fall motion.
(8cc)… Modeling, illustrating, graphing, and or quantitatively explaining the path of an object that has both horizontal and free fall motion.
Where does this lesson fit in the curriculum and instructional context? Is it the opening of a unit or a series of lessons?
Prior to this lesson, students should have been introduced to kinematics and should be proficient in solving problems involving objects moving horizontally or objects in free fall. They should know and understand the three important kinematics equations and how they can be manipulated to solve for various aspects of an objects motion. Students should also have been exposed to projectile motion and should have learned and conceptualized the “bullet shot/ dropped theory”. They should fully understand that the two directions (x and y) are entirely independent and that an objects motion in the x direction is unaffected by its motion in the y direction (and vice versa). They should be able to use this fact to solve simple 2 dimensional motion problems. They will have been given instruction on how to solve 2D kinematics problems and they will have worked with the PHET computer program that will have allowed them to derive the range equation for a projectile launched at a given angle.
Students should also be proficient in Algebra and should be able to manipulate equations to solve for one unknown. Students should also be proficient in solving systems of equations (2 variables, 2 unknowns).
With this prerequisite knowledge students will be able to complete the tasks that will be presented to them within this lesson and they will be successful.
NOTE: This lesson is designed for 2 80-90 minute class periods. Detail is provided later in the lesson.
Differentiation: Materials, Learners and Environments
This lesson sequence includes three different segments. The first segment involves the students working together to brainstorm ideas of how to complete a challenge that I will issue to them. I will not give them too much instruction and I will have them figure out the problem on their own. The second segment of the lesson which will take place on the second day will involve the students going out to the football field to implement their procedures and take the necessary measurements that they will need in order to make the calculations. The final segment of the lesson involves the students quantitatively analyzing the motion of the projectile. They will use the experimental numbers and apply what they know about projectile motion to solve this problem. The entire lesson will be performed in groups of 2.
This lesson definitely incorporates different forms of instruction for all different types of learners. Students that work best while working cooperatively with others will certainly enjoy this lesson because it involves a great deal of group work. Students that enjoy math and qualitatively analyzing different situations will also find this lesson beneficial. They will be able to analyze the motion of a projectile. Finally the kinesthetic and visual learners will certainly be entertained by this lesson because it involves a lot of hands-on and inquiry based learning experiences.
In addition to this, in order to differentiate my instruction for the advanced students I will have extra challenges that I will offer to them if they finish with the assigned work ahead of time. I will have them make the same calculations for their left arm and left leg. I might also ask them to calculate a few other values that can be seen in the attached worksheet.
For the students that may be struggling throughout this investigation I will offer them guiding questions that may help them to see what it is that they have to do. I will also inform the students that may be struggling that they will only be required to complete the second challenge (Challenge B) for full credit. This will take some of the pressure off of them and will allow them to get more out of the learning experience. My aim is depth rather than breadth.
Accommodations and modifications:
It is important to recognize that most classes (no matter what the level is) will be comprised of learners of all different types. These learners will also have a variety of different learning styles. In order to accommodate for these differences, I will be sure to group the students so that they are all working with students of similar learning ability. In this way the advanced students will work at their own pace and will not feel as though they need to wait for the students that may take a little more time to fully understand the concepts. The students that may be struggling will be able to work slowly through the task and take their time without feeling threatened and intimidated by the other students that are working more quickly. I will also try to group different types of learners together in the same groups. This will allow students to see the concepts from a different perspective and will help them grow intellectually.
Environment factors:
This lesson involves three separate segments. The first and last segments of the lesson will be performed in the physics classroom and the students will be working in groups at the lab benches. I will make sure to position the groups around the room in a way that is easy for me to maintain order and help out all of the groups.
During the second segment of the lesson the students will be collecting data out on the football field. I will need to get permission from the administration in order to make this small “field trip”. I will go over rules with the students before we go outside and will position myself on the football field in a way so that I can see all of the students and can answer any questions that they may have on the content of the lesson.
Materials:
ü Measuring tapes
ü Protractors
ü Cameras
ü Computers
ü Worksheet
ü Calculators
Instructional Procedures
DAY 1
LAUNCH A:
As the students enter the classroom during the first instruction period I will have already posted the agenda for the day so that they students (and myself) can refer back to it throughout the lesson. I will also have a sample NECAP or AP Physics science problem on the whiteboard for the students to complete in the first few minutes of class. This problem will be a good segue into the lesson because I will be sure to choose a problem that relates to the concepts that we will be studying. This will help students become familiar with the types of NECAP and/or AP questions that they will see in the future. Once the students have been given a few minutes to work on this problem as a class I will go over the correct answer and then I will begin to introduce the instructional goals for the day.
“How many of you know how fast you can throw a baseball?”
“How many of you know how fast you can kick a soccer ball?”
“Do you think it is easier to kick a soccer ball or throw a baseball?”
“We have done a lot of work with determining how far a projectile can travel based on knowing its initial velocity. We will now turn the tables and have the initial velocity be our unknown.”
I will ask the students if they know how fast they can throw a baseball or kick a soccer ball and I will ask them if they know what the fastest recorded speeds are for professionals. I am going to then tell the students that they will be developing an investigation that will allow them to find out exactly how fast they can throw a baseball and kick a soccer ball. I don’t want to reveal too much information to the students because I want them to all go through the design procedures in order to develop their own original procedure. I will assign the students their groups (they will be working in pairs) and I will distribute the attached worksheet to each student. They will all need to complete a worksheet in their groups.
In this launch segment of the lesson I want to get the students excited about the coming lessons and I will tell them that they will actually get the opportunity to go outside on the next instructional period and actually figure out exactly how fast they can launch a projectile. I will not spend too long on this launch phase because I don’t want to give the students much direction and I want to allow them to go in whichever direction that they like in the activity. I will tell them that we will have a competition to see who can throw/ kick the hardest. After I have engaged the students and explained what I would like them to do I will let them go off and start “exploring”.
However I will be sure to reiterate the purpose of the investigation.
“The purpose of this activity is to give you an opportunity to develop an investigation that is directly related to projectile motion (2D kinematics). You will be able to further your understanding of projectile motion and apply it to a real world application.”
EXPLORE A:
The students will be given some guidance on the attached worksheet and they will know what materials they will have available to them. See attached worksheet. I will ask that they complete the investigation in two different ways using two different sets of supplies. In the first challenge they must find out the initial velocity of the projectile (baseball or soccer ball) by using only a measuring tape. In the second challenge they must find out the initial speed of the projectile (baseball or soccer ball) using a measuring tape and a camera. The second activity will involve the students launching the ball at an angle (which they can measure using a camera) and the first activity will involve the students throwing/ kicking the projectile perfectly horizontally. This will be the only information that I will provide to the students and I will want them to brainstorm ideas on how to find the initial velocity of the projectile.
If students seem to be struggling with this task I will initially stay removed from their work. As long as they are on task and working I will allow them to struggle a little and enter a state of disequilibrium. This will make the learning experience even more beneficial. However, if this confusion prolongs I will offer the students some guidance by asking them guiding questions.
“What is the unknown in this particular situation?”
“Do we want the initial velocity in the x direction or in the y direction? Or do we want the initial velocity vector? Which tells us about the overall magnitude?”
“What is the acceleration of a projectile in the x direction? What does this tell you about the x velocity?”
“For the first challenge think about what would happen if you threw the object perfectly horizontal to the ground”
“If we measured the amount that the ball dropped over a give distance could we find out anything else about the motion of the object? If we threw a ball against a wall could we measure the drop? How?”
If groups are finding this activity too easy I will offer them a few extra challenges to consider before they collect data on the proceeding day. These extra challenges can be seen on the attached sheet. I will also point out to the students the following idea:
“Make sure to take into account the fact that the ball will be thrown at a higher height than the ball will land.”
My intent is that the students think about what they will do for each of the challenges and write up a final procedure on day one. They will then have me check over their procedures and make sure that it is okay for them to implement. If I see any conceptual problems with their procedures I will point these out to them and have them adjust their procedures and make the necessary changes. Students will engage in this give and take on the first day until they develop a good a well thought out investigation.
SUMMARIZE/SHARE A:
At the end of this first instructional period I will have the students reconvene as a class and if there is time at the end of the day I will have each group explain to the class what they intend to do on the next day. This will be a good way to summarize the day’s task and have the students see what everyone else came up with. They may even decide to change their procedures if they got any ideas from their peers. I will ask each group the following questions in front of the class to test their understanding of projectile motion and get an idea about how well they are able to implement the scientific method:
“What was your initial thought when you first read the assignment?”
“Did you have to make any revisions to your procedure along the way?”
“What essential projectile motion ideas are you using throughout your investigation to find the desired measurements? (Symmetry, vy=0, etc)”
“How will you strive to get more accurate results? More precise results?”
“What units will you find your answer in? In this a practical unit that allows you to compare results?”
“How many significant figures do our instruments limit us to?”
DAY 2
LAUNCH B/ EXPLORE B:
When the students enter the classroom on dat 2 I will have a new agenda posted on the whiteboard.
As the students enter the classroom I will instruct them to get into the groups that they had worked in the day before and spend about 10 minutes reviewing their procedure and collecting the materials that they will need when they go outside. I will then go over the ground rules and explain to the students that they need to be very well behaved when we go outside or else we won’t be allowed by administration to go outside during class time anymore.
“Okay class! We are going to implement your procedures today and figure out how fast we can throw a baseball and kick a soccer ball!”
As a class we will head out to the football field and I will allow the student to make the necessary measurements that they will need. I will have them perform several trials in order to get enough data for their experiment. I will have brought in three different digital cameras for the class period and the groups can trade off taking pictures/ videos (whichever their investigation called for). Some groups may find that the setting on the camera that takes 10 pictures in 1 sec will be very helpful.
For the students that need a wall we will proceed to the side of the building so that they can take their measurements for the first challenge. I plan to spend about 30 minutes outside to allow the student enough time to make the measurements.
For the students that make their measurements very quickly I will challenge them to also find out how fast they can throw/kick with their left hand.
Once all of the groups have collected their data we will head back in to the classroom and I will give them the opportunity to make the necessary calculations to figure out how fast they can throw a baseball and kick a soccer ball. We will connect the three cameras to the computer and will download the pictures and/or videos so that the students can use the computer to analyze and measure the angle with which they launched the projectiles.
If students are struggling making their measurements I will go around and offer them assistance. I will also make sure that all of their numbers make sense
“If you can throw a ball faster than Steven Strasburg than why are you still in school?”
“What do you think threw off your numbers?”
“What were some sources of error that may have existed in your investigation?”
SUMMARIZE/SHARE B:
Once everyone has finished with their calculations I will make a chart on the whiteboard and will have each student record how fast they can throw a baseball and kick a soccer ball. We will then discuss the results as a class and discuss any sources of error that may have existed throughout all of the investigations. I will then ask the class the following questions to assess the activity that I had them complete.
“Did you enjoy this activity?”
“What did you learn?”
“Where did the bullet shot/ bullet dropped idea come into play in your calculations? How was it essential to the first investigation? To the second?”
“Can we use this same procedure to figure out how fast outfielders throw a baseball into second base when we are watching them on TV?”
“What angle would optimize the range of the baseball/soccer ball?”
“How could we find initial velocity if we threw the ball straight up?”
I will then ask them if they have any questions to wrap up the lesson sequence and we will talk about how the lesson fits in to the projectile motion unit.
Launch A:
During the Launch phase of the first activity, the student will be informally assessed and I will determine how interested they are in the lesson that will follow. I want to gauge their engagement because I will make adjustments to my instruction in order to make the lesson more entertaining and engaging for them.
Explore A:
During the “explore” phase of day 1 I will informally assess the students on the critical thinking skills and on their ability to use the scientific method in order to develop an original investigation. I will take notes about each of the students and determine if they are ready to move on with the lesson and make their measurements.
Summarize A:
During the summarize phase of the first activity the students will have to explain their thought process as well as the procedure that they came up with. This will give me a chance to further gauge how well they were able to implement the scientific method and develop an effective investigation. This will also give me an opportunity to determine whether the students conceptually understand the concepts of the projectile motion unit.
Launch/Explore/Summarize B:
During the second activity I will informally assess the students on their ability to implement their own scientific investigation. This will help me determine if the students know how to make accurate measurements and control unwanted variables.During the calculation portion of the lesson I will informally determine if the students are proficient with manipulating the kinematics equations and applying the projectile motion concepts to solve real world problems.
This section to be completed only if lesson plan is implemented.